For a variety of reasons, consumers have had great difficulty in recognizing that nozzle tape must be removed prior to inserting an ink cartridge into a print device such as, for example, a printer, photocopier, etc. Nozzle tape is designed to cover the orifice region (also referred to as an “outlet portion”) of a print cartridge temporarily, thereby decreasing the rate of evaporation of the ink in the cartridge, when the cartridge is being stored or transported prior to first use. The nozzle tape also serves to protect the printhead.
A number of methods have been tried to make the nozzle tape more visible to the consumer and/or to educate the consumer about the need to remove the tape prior to first use. For example, some cartridge manufactures have added costly color to the nozzle tape to make it more readily visible. By way of another example, rigid, colorful tags having icons and/or words thereon have also been added to the cartridge. These tags often fall-off during storage or shipping. In addition, consumers often do not understand the meaning of the icons and/or words printed on the tags and, therefore, fail to heed their instructions. Finally, documentation detailing the removal of the nozzle tape prior to first use has been provided with the cartridge. Similarly, diagrams showing the removal of the nozzle tape have been provided on the print device and/or on the carton containing the cartridge.
Unfortunately, all of these methods have proven unsuccessful in eliminating the problem and, therefore, many consumers remain unaware or forget to remove the nozzle tape prior to inserting a new print cartridge into a print device. Moreover, the consumer is unaware as to why the new print cartridge fails to produce any ink. These consumers often wind-up: (a) calling the print device and/or cartridge manufacturer assistance line; or (b) returning the cartridge. As a result, the consumer experiences costly downtime and frustration. In addition, assistance calls to the cartridge and print device manufacturers regarding this frequent problem require the manufacturers to hire additional service technicians. The cost associated with employing these additional service technicians is passed-on to the consumer by way of higher prices for cartridges and print devices.
Accordingly, what is needed is a nozzle tape apparatus that enables a consumer to understand that the nozzle tape must be removed prior to first use.